THE INDI Alliance, the motley band of the Oppostion parties, has taken a mis-step by taking decision not to send their representatives to the shows of 14 popular television news anchors. However, to some extent, it is well in sync with the character of some in the bloc. Also, one smells in it an attempt of the fake progressive lobby to usher in ‘cancel culture’ in a democratically rich India. To know more, one has to go back to 1950. Barely within a few months of adopting the Constitution of India that enshrined the freedom of expression, the erstwhile Central Government led by Pt Jawaharlal Nehru had imposed a ban on circulation of a Left-oriented weekly ‘Cross Roads’ for being critical of especially his foreign policy. Also, ‘Organiser’ magazine published by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was asked to submit to the Government all the material for pre-censorship. In May 1950, the Supreme Court decided both the cases against the Government. In 1951, vis-a-vis freedom of expression, the Government amended the Constitution within 18 months of adopting it. However, the phenomenon continued, as if a legacy, in subsequent regimes led by the Congress party.

 

The curbs on media were more proclaimed during Emergency, when Mrs. Indira Gandhi led the nation. When the Emergency was imposed at midnight, power supply of newspapers in Delhi was severed. Dissenting voices were punished. It had irked even those close to the power and many had joined the protests against the curbs on media freedom. With time, attempts of exerting control over media got extended to the publication of books, films, airing of songs on radio, cartoons, and television. Then, came an era when political leaders accused media of ‘distorting’ their statements. In recent times, the phenomenon has taken an ugly turn. One block called critical media ‘Presstitutes’. Another came up with ‘Godi Media’ charge. Instead of taking a saner stand of responding properly to critical media, both sides were happy making the attempts to shoot the messengers. In the era of social media, trolls vitiated the scene, affecting the conventionally rational media like newspapers too.

 

All these evoked concerns over standards from saner political leaders and also media veterans. Still, things had not stooped to the extent that INDI Alliance has gone to now. INDI Alliance’s intellectually poor advisors are missing out that the bloc is going to lose out on space it has on television. This mis-step also shows that the Opposition bloc has failed in learning any lesson from how Prime Minister Mr. Modi emerged on the national scene despite facing one of the fiercest media trials recorded in Indian history. Unfortunately, barring criticism of Mr. Modi and tarnishing the image of the country abroad, the INDI Alliance constituents have resorted to divisive politics and freebies instead of putting forth own developmental agenda that would make country stronger and a unified force. Hence, their spokespersons often found it difficult to answer the news anchors’ tough questions on developmental vision. The INDI Alliance’s move of not sending representatives to certain news channels is borne out of this failure. This is nothing but ‘Cancel Culture’ that is popular these days. For, responding sanely to dissenting opinion is not everybody’s cup of tea.